Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I received an ARC from the publisher. This book sounded perfect for me: fantasy adventure, female lead, pirates, libraries, ghosts, zombies. etc. It was blurbed as "blisteringly paced, amazingly fun" but I didn't find it either. I didn't cotton to Buc, the main character and the info dump in the first chapter was offputting. I started skimming, to see if it got better. Nope. It was all self-important questing, with no humor or literary breaks to lighten the burden. Maybe it works as YA. Sorry - I wanted to love it.
I honestly liked the premise of the book having a strong female pirate MC. The story immediately captivated my attention and was going well, until the use of MC referring to EVERY WOMAN as a B*tch.
So I was like ok...this is unnecessary and tried to look past it. But 327 pages in is ENOUGH.
Yes, I was enjoying reading this debut but felt the MC: putting EVERY woman down and belittling EVERYONE and thinking she has every answer and is always right...just turned me off from finishing this book in the first place. I was determined to finish it and instead am dnfing it.
And it makes me furious to know this male author wrote such a sexist book and had the audacity to have it published. I will not read any of his "future" works and suggest no one else waste their time on this garbage/waste time of a read.
So I was like ok...this is unnecessary and tried to look past it. But 327 pages in is ENOUGH.
Yes, I was enjoying reading this debut but felt the MC: putting EVERY woman down and belittling EVERYONE and thinking she has every answer and is always right...just turned me off from finishing this book in the first place. I was determined to finish it and instead am dnfing it.
And it makes me furious to know this male author wrote such a sexist book and had the audacity to have it published. I will not read any of his "future" works and suggest no one else waste their time on this garbage/waste time of a read.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read about a third then skimmed to half way. This left me cold from the very start: a bad combination of exposition, awkward dialogue and a weird choice to keep switching to antagonists' POV so they could talk to camera to (supposedly) up the ante with Details Our Heroes Don't Know. I found the characters both thinly-drawn and charmless, which made them hard to root for.
There's a great pitch here and those seeking a fast-moving plot full of action and about turns may find enough to enjoy. Me, I needed more solid character work and world building.
There's a great pitch here and those seeking a fast-moving plot full of action and about turns may find enough to enjoy. Me, I needed more solid character work and world building.
The Sin in the Steel was quite a fun read! I won an ARC from a Goodreads Giveaway. I sat down to read it last night and found myself unwilling to put it down. The story is well paced and clips along nicely. There is a lot of information to learn, but Van Loan does a good job of not doing large swaths of exposition or info-dumping.
Buc is clearly a Holmes-style savant, with Eld as her staid and reliable Watson. Van Loan does a good job of making those comparisons clear without being heavy handed or boring - Buc and Eld are their own characters, drawing elements from Holmes and Watson.
Buc is clearly a Holmes-style savant, with Eld as her staid and reliable Watson. Van Loan does a good job of making those comparisons clear without being heavy handed or boring - Buc and Eld are their own characters, drawing elements from Holmes and Watson.
The Sin in the Steel promised a plethora of things I usually love in other stories: dynamic duos who have each other’s back, swashbuckling and adventure, pirates and specifically pirate queens, ancient magic, and mystery, Unfortunately, not all of those promises were fulfilled in my experience.
First, the good. I absolutely love the world in The Sin in the Steel; it’s easy to feel like you’ve embarked upon your own adventure on the high seas, and the writing is well paced and immersing to keep you in that world. There were plenty of pirates, battles on land and at sea, and lots of try-fail cycles to keep you rooting for the ‘heroes’ while they were in dire circumstances. Although it wasn’t explored as much as I would have liked (probably because this will be the focus in forthcoming installments), there are multiple types of magic and hints at an intriguing conflict involving the dead gods pitched on the cover copy.
However, Buc as a protagonist fell flat for me. She succeeds in being a mayhem-prone, violence-inclined Holmesian figure, but her skills and flaws feel comically exaggerated. I understand the concept of flawed protagonists, and in some ways I appreciated how Buc’s flaws got her in trouble, but I didn’t enjoy the lack of nuance in her character overall.
The romance subplot was what ultimately lowered my rating from three stars to two. There were two scenes in particular that contained language with predatory undertones re: the age gap between the two individuals. Things like one character wondering if he’s a lecher for falling in love with a girl he met when she was 14 and he was 19 (now 16 and 21), justifications such as ‘she was wise beyond her years’, and the female character immediately reassuring him that ‘age is just a number’ in the scene immediately following raised red flags for me. If those two scenes in particular were omitted, I think it would have read less 'creepy' and more 'complicated', as I believe the novel intended.
Many will enjoy this story for what it is, by and large: a fast paced, Holmesian, swashbuckling adventure set in a world of pirates, magic, and mystery with a polarizing protagonist and hints of cool things to come. There were just too many elements that took me personally out of my enjoyment for me to want to recommend this or continue with the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
First, the good. I absolutely love the world in The Sin in the Steel; it’s easy to feel like you’ve embarked upon your own adventure on the high seas, and the writing is well paced and immersing to keep you in that world. There were plenty of pirates, battles on land and at sea, and lots of try-fail cycles to keep you rooting for the ‘heroes’ while they were in dire circumstances. Although it wasn’t explored as much as I would have liked (probably because this will be the focus in forthcoming installments), there are multiple types of magic and hints at an intriguing conflict involving the dead gods pitched on the cover copy.
However, Buc as a protagonist fell flat for me. She succeeds in being a mayhem-prone, violence-inclined Holmesian figure, but her skills and flaws feel comically exaggerated. I understand the concept of flawed protagonists, and in some ways I appreciated how Buc’s flaws got her in trouble, but I didn’t enjoy the lack of nuance in her character overall.
The romance subplot was what ultimately lowered my rating from three stars to two. There were two scenes in particular that contained language with predatory undertones re: the age gap between the two individuals. Things like one character wondering if he’s a lecher for falling in love with a girl he met when she was 14 and he was 19 (now 16 and 21), justifications such as ‘she was wise beyond her years’, and the female character immediately reassuring him that ‘age is just a number’ in the scene immediately following raised red flags for me. If those two scenes in particular were omitted, I think it would have read less 'creepy' and more 'complicated', as I believe the novel intended.
Many will enjoy this story for what it is, by and large: a fast paced, Holmesian, swashbuckling adventure set in a world of pirates, magic, and mystery with a polarizing protagonist and hints of cool things to come. There were just too many elements that took me personally out of my enjoyment for me to want to recommend this or continue with the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I recieved an ARC from BookishFirst after reading the first two chapters. I was excited to read this book after reading the first two chapters and the summary. However, the whole book didn't live up to my expectations for a mystery-fantasy-adventure (perhaps because I'm also reading Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and was unintentionally comparing the two).
The plot was confusing and twisted in a way that's appropriate for mystery novels. One of the reasons I kept reading was because I was hoping that things would become more clear and the mystery would be solved. The mystery was solved--kinda--but not in a way that came with the satisfaction at the end of a good mystery. In a similar vein on the fantasy side of things, the world-building was solid, but not particularly interesting or clear-cut.
I appreciated the author's inclusion and centering of characters of color and powerful (queer) women. Buc's character develops over the course of the novel, but the rest of the characters stay static and appear and disappear haphazardly (lending to the confusing plot).
Overall, this was an ok debut novel. It seems set up for a sequel, so maybe the loose ends will get tied up in that.
The plot was confusing and twisted in a way that's appropriate for mystery novels. One of the reasons I kept reading was because I was hoping that things would become more clear and the mystery would be solved. The mystery was solved--kinda--but not in a way that came with the satisfaction at the end of a good mystery. In a similar vein on the fantasy side of things, the world-building was solid, but not particularly interesting or clear-cut.
I appreciated the author's inclusion and centering of characters of color and powerful (queer) women. Buc's character develops over the course of the novel, but the rest of the characters stay static and appear and disappear haphazardly (lending to the confusing plot).
Overall, this was an ok debut novel. It seems set up for a sequel, so maybe the loose ends will get tied up in that.
Ryan Von Loan's The Sin in the Steel is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure about a wicked-smahht, pissed-off, teenage revolutionary and her damaged soldier friend who are hired by a massive trading corporation to find out why their ships are disappearing along an important trade route. Could it be mad mages? Pirates? Asshole, vengeful gods and their mad cult followers? Perhaps a combination of all three?
Buc is gifted with genius intelligence but was given a shitty lot in life. An orphan, growing up on the hard city streets, Buc learned how to wield knives and use her wits to stay alive. Her destitution and rebellious attitude evolved into arrogance and disgust for the way the world is: vengeful gods, nonsensical religions, corporate sleaze, and imperial politics around every corner. So she decided to make it her life’s mission to upend the status quo and change the world.
Buc reminds of a sixteen-year-old Alexander Hamilton, if Hamilton were into stabbing and mayhem.
Her companion Eld is a talented but despondent soldier with a tragic past and a deep hatred for magic after being dishonorably discharged from the military. He and Buc find each other at the right moment in time, pulling each other up by their bootstraps to form a strong bond of care and support with the same mission to accomplish: overturn the hierarchy responsible for the oppression that seeps through every pore of society.
The book utlizes quite a bit of humor, but since this is mostly set in a world of pirates, it's not going to be Sesame Street jokes. I quite enjoyed the constant levity as well as the different magical engineering contraptions that were peppered through the story, but there are a couple of elements that prevented me from giving this book a higher score.
First, Buc’s intelligence was often overshadowed by her total arrogance and kneejerk, poor decision-making. For someone who’s supposed to be so smart, it was tough to buy into her character completely. Even though she's only sixteen and is not expected to act as rational as she had planned, it still seemed a bit off that she was unable to hold back her temper or tongue and made everything much worse. This made her downright unlikeable at times. Also, many of her successful plans were circumstancial. She's more lucky -- incredibly, unbelievably lucky -- than a brilliant planner. She has a sharp memory, but I'm not sold on her being the Sherlock Holmes of this story.
There was also a noticeable slowdown of pacing towards the back half of the book, and it took me about twice as long to get through it as the first half. The end, however, pulled the various strings together nicely.
The story ends on a high note, and promises some very different, interesting perspectives for the next entry. There's some weird new dynamics -- in a good way -- and some new fish to fry. (Sailor's joke! Yarrrr.) So sharpen your poignards and buckle your swashes for some foul-mouthed, high seas, sacrilegious anarchy with your favorite teenage smartass and her soul-searching, shell-shocked best pal. Ryan Van Loan's has created a world thick with intrigue in his debut novel and I get a sense that the best is yet to come.
Buc is gifted with genius intelligence but was given a shitty lot in life. An orphan, growing up on the hard city streets, Buc learned how to wield knives and use her wits to stay alive. Her destitution and rebellious attitude evolved into arrogance and disgust for the way the world is: vengeful gods, nonsensical religions, corporate sleaze, and imperial politics around every corner. So she decided to make it her life’s mission to upend the status quo and change the world.
Buc reminds of a sixteen-year-old Alexander Hamilton, if Hamilton were into stabbing and mayhem.
Her companion Eld is a talented but despondent soldier with a tragic past and a deep hatred for magic after being dishonorably discharged from the military. He and Buc find each other at the right moment in time, pulling each other up by their bootstraps to form a strong bond of care and support with the same mission to accomplish: overturn the hierarchy responsible for the oppression that seeps through every pore of society.
The book utlizes quite a bit of humor, but since this is mostly set in a world of pirates, it's not going to be Sesame Street jokes. I quite enjoyed the constant levity as well as the different magical engineering contraptions that were peppered through the story, but there are a couple of elements that prevented me from giving this book a higher score.
First, Buc’s intelligence was often overshadowed by her total arrogance and kneejerk, poor decision-making. For someone who’s supposed to be so smart, it was tough to buy into her character completely. Even though she's only sixteen and is not expected to act as rational as she had planned, it still seemed a bit off that she was unable to hold back her temper or tongue and made everything much worse. This made her downright unlikeable at times. Also, many of her successful plans were circumstancial. She's more lucky -- incredibly, unbelievably lucky -- than a brilliant planner. She has a sharp memory, but I'm not sold on her being the Sherlock Holmes of this story.
There was also a noticeable slowdown of pacing towards the back half of the book, and it took me about twice as long to get through it as the first half. The end, however, pulled the various strings together nicely.
The story ends on a high note, and promises some very different, interesting perspectives for the next entry. There's some weird new dynamics -- in a good way -- and some new fish to fry. (Sailor's joke! Yarrrr.) So sharpen your poignards and buckle your swashes for some foul-mouthed, high seas, sacrilegious anarchy with your favorite teenage smartass and her soul-searching, shell-shocked best pal. Ryan Van Loan's has created a world thick with intrigue in his debut novel and I get a sense that the best is yet to come.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an uncorrected ARC of The Sin in the Steel from a Goodreads giveaway.
Buc and Eld are a crime solving duo, who get into trouble right away. They are accused of a murder and basically blackmailed by a shipping company to find why their ships are not making port. In the ARC Buc is 16 and Eld is 22, but in the final version Buc is 17 and Eld is 19. So, that will be interesting to see any changes because Buc makes a joke right away about how old Eld is.
The Sherlock influence comes up pretty early. Buc uses a drug called kan to slow her mind and let her focus better. Servenza and the islands that the Buc and Eld go to, definitely has a Spanish/Caribbean inspiration. Buc also seems like Kaz Brekker from The Six of Crows because she has plans within plans and rarely tells Eld.
Her main plan is to bring down the Empire, which who knows how that will work in the long run.
Both Buc and Eld have a past that the other doesn't know about. These "failures", as they call them, are the reason the duo solve crimes. Very early on, a chapter focuses on Eld, and there are graphic depictions of war. There is also some blood during that scene and another later. There are wonderful scenes of navel battles and they were a lot of fun.
It is a little weird to go from Buc, who uses "I" to others who use the third person, but it doesn't happen to much. As I read, I wasn't sure if I liked Buc or not, which might be the point.
The world building is really well done. There is magic (telepathy and shapeshifting), pirates, and Gods. There are two types of Gods; dead ones and one living one. They are at war and have been for a long time. The dead Gods left their blood and bodies behind, which their followers imbue to become more powerful. The dead Gods followers can control the dead, which makes sense. The one living god followers are just very powerful, with something called Sin, which comes into play later.
The world has a vaguely sci-fi background for the Gods, but I'm not sure. Since this is the first in a series, that might be explored in more detail later.
Eld is very weird when Buc wants to wear trousers at least twice and I'm not sure why, since being in a dress doing what they do seems to be a hindrance. Also, "bitch" is used far too much by women against other women. It gets very tiring, especially when Buc and Eld meet the Widowmaker, who Buc dislikes a lot. The Widowmaker, Chan Sha, dislikes Buc just as much.
As the story goes on, Chan Sha explains a bit more, but not everything. Buc is able to figure out a lot of and make it work for her and Eld. I really liked the ending because it wrapped up this story but did also have a good setup for the sequels.